Joan of Arc
Joan must be one of the best-known figures from the Middle Ages and opinion is divided about her. Love her or loathe her, her story is fascinating and although almost no artefacts remain that were contemporary to her, the last…
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Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket is one of the most famous of the (so far) 105 archbishops of Canterbury, best-known for his violent end in Canterbury Cathedral on 29th December 1170. Fifty years later, his remains were translated (moved to a more prestigious…
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The Siren Sea
The ship is one of the most common images found in medieval churches and manuscripts and not just on the coast, but often far inland as well. Nations depend on it for nourishment, safety and wealth but, all too often,…
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How to Live in Renaissance Italy
We hear a great deal about individual artists and sculptors and obviously we see their great works that can leave us reeling in wonder, but we don't often think about the society for which these marvellous art-forms were made. We…
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‘Here be dragons …’ : Medieval Monsters in Church Art
You don’t have to go into many churches right across Europe, or look at many manuscripts made at any time during the Middle Ages to notice fabulous monsters, mythical beasts and grotesques rampaging through the carvings and pages. Some are…
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A Child’s Life in the Middle Ages
Where are the children in Medieval art? So often they are missing and it’s sometimes assumed that because of the high infant mortality rates, parents deliberately didn’t bond with their children. Nothing could be further from the truth; children were…
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The Politeness of Princes
Punctuality being the politeness of princes, this lecture examines the reality of manners and etiquette in later the Medieval period. A far cry from the popular image of appalling table manners, Medieval dining was a minefield of do’s and don’ts,…
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The Signs of Times
How to read the signs and symbols within Medieval art, some more easy to detect than others. This lectures considers art of the period c.1100 – c.1500 and guides the audience through where it might be found and the forms…
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The Hazards of the Journey: Pilgrimage and Travel in the Middle Ages
What possessed people to trudge hundreds of miles, often in appalling conditions and sometimes perishing on the way? This lecture considers this question and also how there was a shift from spiritual wandering in the Anglo-Saxon period to religious tourism…
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The Dregs of the People Remain: The Black Death and its Aftermath
It is possible to see a shift in artistic tastes following the plague years which began in the mid C14th. This is understandable considering that we now know that certainly 50% and perhaps 60% of the population of Europe and…